As Syracuse University men's lacrosse head coach John Desko and I chatted on a couch in his office Friday afternoon, the 2009 national championship trophy loomed nearby on a shelf just over his right shoulder.

That trophy represents the last national title Syracuse won and the last time they were in the Final Four.

Booking a weekend at that year's Final Four site used to be a sure bet for the Syracuse lacrosse fan.

Now, it is more like a 50-50 proposition.

As The Post-Standard's Jessi Pierce noted in this post, the seniors on this team have never won a national championship. They've never played in a final four. And they don't want to go out on that note in a program with a rich tradition of success.

You don't have to tell those guys twice that the door is closing to be apart of something that used to be automatic if you pulled on a Syracuse uniform over your pads.

"It's hard not to think about that," senior JoJo Marasco told Pierce. "You come to Syracuse, it's such an elite program, wanting to be a part of that, a national championship team. Especially now as a senior you want it more than ever. We are playing to get there every day."

Syracuse fans will have to wait and see if this is a team that will make them book a weekend in Philadelphia on Memorial Day weekend, site of this year's Final Four.

Here is my conversation with Syracuse head coach John Desko previewing the upcoming season as the Orange open up with Albany Sunday at the Carrier Dome. Face off is at 4 p.m. (TWCS)